Presentation and practical information on the Villages de Caractères from the north to the south of the Ardèche, a departmental label for the region’s outstanding villages. Welcome to the site!
Character villages in the Ardèche
At the bend in a winding road or nestling in a wild valley, the villages of character in the Ardèche reveal an intimate and timeless face.
Clinging to the slopes or hidden away in the folds of the valleys, these exceptional hamlets seem suspended in time. Their cobbled streets, gilded stone houses and shady squares tell the story of centuries of history and rural life. Everywhere, the medieval soul shines through, carried by the passion of the inhabitants for their traditions and their art of living.
From the granite north to the southern gorges, twenty-one villages united under the same quality charter open their doors to curious visitors. Here, authenticity is not an overused word: it’s an experience to be shared, a landscape to be inhabited, an emotion to be felt.
The “Villages de caractère d’Ardèche” initiative, launched by the
Département in 1996, is now run by Ardèche Tourisme.
It promotes the conservation and enhancement of rural communities
through a modern heritage initiative that brings these villages to life
bring these villages to life. Our destination currently has 21
villages that have been awarded the “Villages de caractère d’Ardèche®” label.
They make a particular point of welcoming visitors, inviting you to share in their traditions and history.
and invite you to share in their traditions and way of life. Welcome to Ardèche!
Source : Ardèche Tourisme
Guide to character villages in the Ardèche
Version 2025 of the official guide to the villages of character in the Ardèche, published by the departmental tourism committee:
The Ardèche: IGN toptourism map
At a scale of 1:100,000 (1 cm = 1 km), this is the ideal map for discovering the Ardèche in its entirety and for tourism on foot (GR), by bike or by car, with the department’s routes and greenways:
How to get to the Ardèche
By car or by bus, how to get to the Ardèche for your next trip :
By car
Coming from Paris, Lyon or Marseille, theA7 motorway serves several exits in the Drôme, just on the other bank of the Rhône, which you need only cross to reach the Ardèche.
Here are some ready-to-use itineraries based on your destination in the Ardèche and the roads in the department:
By bus
From the SNCF train stations in the Drôme, the Valence TGV station and the towns and villages of the Ardèche, the departmental network of coaches and buses in the Ardèche offers you more than twenty routes, including links with neighbouring departments (Drôme, Isère, Gard, Lozère, Loire, Haute-Loire):
Carpooling
Another way to get to the Ardèche is to carpool:
By bike
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